AR: ORT Sess Ridership Bumps

ORT has been progressively redesigning, rebuilding and aggressively enlarging public transit in NW Arkansas in recent months.

Results from April 2014’s ridership, compared to the same month in 2013 is promising, to say the least. Overall ridership has increased from 21,666 to 25,376; a full 17 percent increase.

Two new routes (one in Springdale and one in Rogers) earlier this year, boost these numbers, but the true revelation is in the existing routes. Omitting these two routes, the total comparative overall ridership for April 2014 is 24,460; a 12.8 percent increase.

The numbers get skewed even further when comparing new and existing routes simply because some new routes have taken on portions of existing routes and existing routes have been redesigned to provide service to new areas, but the bottom line is a large overall increase in ridership compared to last year.

ORT is commited to providing bus service to as many of the communites’ patrons and as many of the desired locations as possible with the existing bus fleet. This is evidence that the changes being made, serve to more effectively accomplish that goal.